Gaza’s devastation

The terrible price exacted by Israel for 7 October attack

Emma Graham-Harrison

Israel began bombing Gaza on 7 October 2023 after Hamas crossed the border, killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage to Gaza. When ground operations began a week later, most observers expected the fighting to last weeks. Instead, it extended for 15 months, until last weekend’s introduction of a ceasefire, to become Israel’s longest war since the 1948 conflict that led to the country’s creation. The majority of those killed by militants on 7 October were civilians, and the scale and ferocity of the attack was unprecedented. So was the scale and ferocity of Israel’s response. After one brief ceasefire and hostage release deal in November 2023, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed to keep fighting, promising “total victory” over Hamas. The impact of the campaign on…

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Guardian Weekly (Digital) - 1 Issue, 24 January 2025

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